Peer Review

Stopping a Toppling Tower: Nonfiction Text

Material Detail page

Bookmark

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Using an article about the Leaning Tower of Pisa as an example, this assignment provides a brief overview of how to read an informative text effectively. The assignment points out six good tips for effective reading of nonfiction text.
Type of Material:: Assignment
Recommended Uses:: This material could be used as an assignment or homework in almost any class because it teaches how to read non-fiction texts, such as textbooks. It could be an effective pre-test for reading comprehension, or it could be a resource for a class beginning a module on reading nonfiction text.
Technical Requirements:: PDF reader
Identify Major Learning Goals:: • The student will review reading tools for non-fiction texts. • The student will read an example text. • The student will apply the reading tools to the sample text.
Target Student Population:: Middle School Students
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic reading skills

Rating:
Strengths:: This assignment is brief but clear and concise. It provides six reading tools that give practical advice on reading efficiently.
Concerns:: While the site gives good information, it does not illustrate the application of the principles it suggests. The analogies used in the assignment introduction may be lost on a middle school population.

Rating:
Strengths:: This assignment is brief but effective. It provides six reading tools that give practical advice on reading efficiently. The topic is interesting and should hold students' attention.
Concerns:: The site doesn't have an application aspect, such as content/context questions which apply the tools to the text given.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is easy to use because it is a PDF file which can be opened in any browser and on any type of computer. This assignment would be easy to use as an individual assignment or as a partner assignment. Partners could read the assignment and then brainstorm ideas on potential solutions.
Concerns:: The down side is that there are no interactive elements.

Other Issues and Comments:: The information is great as a handout that is part of a presentation on reading non-fiction texts, but would need an added assignment that would apply the tools given in the presentation.
Creative Commons: